Candidates of the ruling AIADMK and opposition DMK will be pitted against each other in 12 of the 21 Assembly constituencies in Vellore, Ranipet, Tirupathur and Tiruvannamalai districts in north Tamil Nadu.

The two parties will be facing each other in Jolarpet, Ambur, Vellore, Anaicut, Gudiyatham, Katpadi, Ranipet, Chengam, Kalasappakam, Polur, Arani and Cheyyar. In the remaining 10 seats the AIADMK/DMK will face candidates of the allies in rival camps. The 9 seats are: Kilpennathur, Tiruvannamalai, Vandavasi, Arcot, Sholinghur, Arakkonam, K V Kuppam, Tirupathur and Vaniyambadi

Among poll veterans in the fray are nine-time MLA and DMK general secretary Duraimurugan who will be contesting from Katpadi and septuagenarian R. Gandhi, also from the DMK, who will be contesting from Ranipet.

The DMK has also fielded former minister E. V. Velu in Tiruvannamalai yet again. He is a well-known face in the district. Meanwhile, sitting DMK MLAs including A. P. Nandakumar, P. Karthikeyan, J. L. Eswarapan, M. P. Giri will be contesting from Anaicut, Vellore, Arcot and Chengam assembly constituencies respectively.

The AIADMK has fielded two of its ministers — K. C. Veeramani, Minister for commercial taxes and Sevoor S. Ramachandran, Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Minister – in Jolarpet and Arani constituencies respectively.

Another familiar name is Agri S. S. Krishnamurthy, AIADMK’s agricultural wing secretary who will be contesting from Polur. While AIADMK’s ally BJP will be contesting from Tiruvannamalai against DMK’s E.V. Velu, Sholinghur will see a battle between AIADMK’s ally PMK and the Congress candidate.

In Arakkonam, a reserved constituency, the fight will be between the AIADMK and VCK. In Gudiyatham,another reserved constituency, the fight will be between two women candidates — AIADMK’s G. Fareeda and V. Amulu from the DMK.